News of death of Robin Williams is everywhere and that can have positive and negative effects, says a Canadian who studies mental health. Williams suffered from severe depression and committed suicide on Monday.
Reduces stigma
“Every time mental illness is out in the open, we reduce the stigma around mental illness, says Ian Colman, the Canada Research Chair in Mental Health Epidemiology at the University of Ottawa. “That’s particularly important because, although we’ve been making a lot of progress in this area in recent years, the fact remains that the majority of people who have depression don’t seek help and we need to change that.”
ListenDetails can provoke copycats
One in five Canadians suffer from some form of mental illness and 3,500 people take their own lives every year. Colman worries people may be affected by news about famous people like Williams taking their own lives.
“There’s a lot of evidence showing that when the media report on suicide that might affect people’s own thoughts about suicide,” says Colman. “Particularly when the media report specific details about suicide, it’s been shown that suicide attempts increase and they can be increases in the exact same method that’s been reported in the news.”
Suicide is complex
Discussion of suicide can explode myths, says Colman. “The first myth is that you can identify a single cause for a suicide. Suicides are usually a result of many factors that have been accumulating over time. This often includes mental illness, in some cases multiple mental illnesses. In Robin Williams’ case there was substance abuse. And often before a suicide there are numerous other stressors, some which maybe very recently occurred, some which may have happened a long time ago but were very traumatic.”
Talk about it
A second myth, he says, is that asking someone about suicide will put the thought in their head. “There’s absolutely no evidence that asking somebody about suicide will prompt them to think about suicide themselves. In many cases, the person you ask will be relieved to be able to talk about it. And the ensuing conversation may be very helpful and it may be the first step to getting help that person really needs.”
As many as half the people who are severely depressed are abusing substances. Colman thinks many do it to try to deal with their problems. He says there are other treatment options that are more effective.
Creative people more affected
Research suggests that mental illness is more common among creative people and artists. “It may be that suffering extremes of emotion allows them to create great art,” says Colman. “They understand the human condition even better because of the extremes they’ve been to. It may be that creating that art is actually an outlet for them to deal with what they’re feeling.”
‘If you are struggling…please seek help’
Colman says the best message to take away from the tragic news of this and other suicides is “If you are struggling with your mental health, please seek help. Talk to a friend or a family member, visit your doctor. If you’re in crisis go to the emergency department or call a crisis line. There are people out there who want to help you.
“And if you’re concerned about the mental health of someone you love, please talk to them and tell them that you want to help.”
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